


Take Me Home

by Coffee_At_Midnight



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Common Cold, Coughing, F/M, Family Video (Stranger Things), Fever, Fluff, Homelessness, Homophobia, Platonic Relationships, Protective Steve Harrington, Scoops Ahoy (Stranger Things), Sick Character, Sickfic, Sneezing, small amount of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffee_At_Midnight/pseuds/Coffee_At_Midnight
Summary: Robin comes into work sick. Steve forces her to take the day off and ends up revealing something she'd been hiding from him.
Relationships: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley/Steve Harrington
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	Take Me Home

When Steve walked into the video store for work, the first thing he noticed was Robin's absence. Normally Robin was the first to arrive-- she said it was because she lived nearby. And today, Steve was five minutes late, which meant Robin was too for the first time in the history of them working together. 

When Robin arrived 10 minutes later, Steve could not keep his eyes off of her-- because she looked like shit.

She struggled to walk inside, holding on to the wall as much as she could while she made her way to the counter. Her hair was a mess, sticking up in some places, and she had a bit of dried toothpaste on her face and shirt. Which drew Steve to notice that the shirt she wore almost reached her knees and was hanging off of one shoulder. Despite her obvious state of despair, she still held the tote bag she brought to work with her every day--awfully big just for a job at the video store. Steve always wondered what was inside of it, but never wanted to impose by asking.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked, amusement evident in his tone. It was kinda funny for the seemingly perfect Robin to look a mess. 

Robin moaned as she folder her arms on the counter, putting all of her weight on it. "I'm sick," she answered with a shrug. "Just a cold or something."

Steve then noticed how tired she looked--there were bags beneath her eyes--and pale, too. She was practically a ghost.

"Jesus, did you sleep at all last night?"

Robin shook her head. "Not really."

Steve looked around the shop-- no one was here. No one ever really was--the few times they'd have customers, they were either middle aged men or nerdy teenage boys. And still, that wasn't many. And their boss wasn't even here today. It wouldn't matter if they just--

"Hey," Steve said. "Why don't I take you home?"

Robin looked at him like he was crazy. "We have to work..."

"Keith isn't even here today," Steve reminded her. "We can just close up until I get back. I won't say anything if you don't."

Robin laughed. "I'm fine, Steve, really." She even forced a smile to make Steve believe that she was truly alright.

"If you say so," he said. "But honestly, let me know if it gets worse."

Robin nodded, though she knew she wouldn't say anything. Besides, she only had to make it through eight more hours and then she could leave, right?

***********

Not even halfway through those eight hours, Robin had her head down on the counter and was almost wishing she had taken Steve up on his offer. But she couldn't, because then he'd know, and Robin didn't think she could take the embarrassment. 

"Robin," Steve called from across the shop, where he was organizing the action movie section. It was almost noon, and they still hadn't gotten any customers. Robin was supposed to be cleaning the counter and then organizing the horror movies, but Steve wasn't surprised to see that she hadn't. "Did you O.D. over there?"

Robin lifted her head, grinning at his joke. Steve noticed that her eyes glistened as if she were about to cry. He walked over to the counter where she was, leaning against it. He looked at Robin with raised eyebrows, almost as if to say "What's wrong?"

"Headache," Robin told Steve with a shrug, as if it were no big deal. But Steve could see in her eyes that she was in a lot of pain. He reached forward and placed a tender hand on her forehead, the same way his mom would when he was little. Damn, she felt hot.

"Alright, you're going home." Steve said, grabbing her shoulders along with her tote bag and pushing her towards the door.

"Steve, no." He continued to push her. "Stop-- I swear I'm fine-- Steve!"

Once he'd gotten Robin outside, he quickly turned to lock the shop's door, flipping the sign on the window to say "closed".

"Alright," Steve said, turning back around. "I'm following you."

"Steve, you don't need to walk me home. Really, I'm fine." Robin hoped that Steve couldn't hear the panic in her voice and prayed that he agreed and just went back to work.

"Robin, you look like shit. If you can't even manage to hold your head up on your own-" Robin removed her head from the window that she was leaning it against- "then you can't walk home by yourself."

Silence followed. Robin knew there was no convincing Steve, and she knew that any lie she tried to tell would be too far fetched. She knew that it was hopeless.

"So...what way to your house?" Steve said, standing with his hand on his hips, eyes squinted in the bright sunlight that was only making Robin's headache worse.

Robin, panicking and and slightly loopy from her fever, spit out the first words that came to her mind. "I don't know."

Steve gave here a look that said "What the fuck?". He was silent until Robin continued.

"I don't know how to get home from here."

Yes, she realized that that was the dumbest thing she'd ever said. Yes, she knew that there were a million other lies that would have been better than the one she had come up with. Yes, she knew Steve would think she's crazy. But none of that was important, as long as Steve didn't know.

"You walk to and from work everyday Robin," Steve said with a laugh. "How could you not know the way?"

Robin shrugged, biting down on her lip to keep from laughing at herself. She failed to make any aspect of the situation better.

Steve chuckled-- yes, Robin was being very weird, but he blamed it on the high fever. He looked around, trying to think.

"Why don't we see if there's a payphone around? Call up your parents, have them help. Maybe one of them could come pick you up."

"No!" Robin answered a little to quickly. She sighed. "They won't help us."

"Why not?" Steve asked.

"They hate me."

"That can't be true Robin. You're awesome."

At this moment, Robin realized how stupid she was being. Steve had been nothing but a great friend to her since they'd met, and she'd told him everything. He even knew that she was gay! And now she was keeping him from work because, what, she was embarrassed? Steve wouldn't care!

"They kicked me out." Robin spoke quietly, her voice still shaky despite the pep talk she had just given herself. "Caught me with a girl. Said they never want to see me again."

"Robin..." Steve said softly. It all made sense now.

Grabbing tightly onto Steve's sleeve was the only thing Robin could do to keep from crying. She wanted to comfort of touching someone, but didn't want to be weird, so Steve's sleeve was the next best thing. 

"You should have told me! You-- where are you staying now?"

"Um.." Robin shrugged. "Around."

"Around?"

"Yeah," she continued. "Crashed on a friend's couch for a few nights. Found a few other...places. I'd get my own apartment or something, but I haven't saved up enough yet."

"So...what? Have you just been sleeping on the streets, or...?" Steve asked, visibly upset. Angry, even. Robin should have told him, he thought. She should have asked for help. She shouldn't have kept it a secret.

"I mean..." Robin began. She could lie and say that she had a place to stay. Keep him from knowing about all the gross nights she'd had, sleeping in alley's and next to dumpsters. Barely eating because she could barely afford to. "Yeah," she continued. "Pretty much." 

That explained the bag-- it was all of her belongings. All those months of her bringing it to work, and Steve had never thought to ask. He could have known sooner, done something to help her out. Avoided this whole situation. 

"No wonder you're sick!" Steve cried, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, I'm taking you back to my place."

Robin sighed, not bothering to resist. It would be nice to lay down, she admitted. Sleep for a bit, at least start feeling better before she was back on the streets, alone. So she allowed Steve to guide her to his house, holding her tightly and feeling the warmth of her fever.

"So when did they kick you out?"Steve asked.

"Around the time we started working here ," Robin admitted. 

It was November 20th. About two months. About two months of Robin sleeping on the streets, alone and scared. A whole month of which had been cold, and even snowed one night! Steve couldn't bear the thought of Robin alone on the streets, freezing. Starving. For months.  
*****************

They finally arrived at Steve's apartment, Robin leaning against her friend who was now carrying most of her weight (which was no fun during the two flights of stairs). 

"Let's get you inside," Steve said, laying her against the wall and fumbling with his keys.

Robin didn't know what she was expected Steve's apartment to look like, but it certainly wasn't this. They stood in the living room, which was just...nice. Better than anything she'd ever be able to afford, at least. The room was fully furnished with a plush grey couch, a coffee table sat in front of it. He even had his own T.V. From where she stood, Robin could see part of the kitchen, which was small but still nice. It seemed to have the basics-- an oven, a stove, a table. She knew his parents must have helped him pay for it in some way-- ice cream scooping and organizing movies didn't pay very well. Part of her was jealous that his parents were willing to do that when hers wouldn't even answer her phone calls, but a bigger part of her felt dizzy and needed to sit down.

Robin plopped on Steve's couch as he disappeared into a hallway between the living room and kitchen. When he returned, he held a jar of pills and a thermometer. He pressed the button on the thermometer and held it up to her mouth, which she opened without detest. Despite feeling childish under Steve's care, she felt too shitty to argue.

Once the thermometer was in her mouth, Steve walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with water-- she'd need it for the medicine. He heard the expected beep just as he finished and returned to the living room.

"103.2," Steve read a loud. And shit, that wasn't good considering that neither he or Robin were adult enough to care for a sick person. All Steve could do was think what his mother would do if it were him, and do that. So he handed her the glass of water along with three pills, which she took without a word.

"You wanna watch T. V. or something?" Steve asked, knowing that was all he did when he was unwell.

"You're supposed to go back to work," Robin reminded him, her voice raspy. Steve could tell she felt awful in every action she made, every word she spoke. His heart wrenched with pity for his best friend.

"Not when you're this bad," he said, going back to the kitchen to see if he had any soup, or anything that his sick friend might want. "It's not like we get tons of customers on a weekday anyway."

Steve listened for Robin's reprise, but was surprised when she didn't agree. He turned around, seeing that her eyes were closed and her breathing had steadied and then knew why. Robin was fast asleep. Steve closed the cabinet and then walked to his bedroom, pulling his comforter (which was the only blanket he owned) off of his bed, and then spread it over Robin. He laughed, thinking how weird this was-- Robin, who went from his bad-ass coworker to his unrequited love to his super bad-ass lesbian best friend, was laying on his couch, practically delirious with fever, as he skipped work to take care of her since she had nowhere else to go. Funny, how things change. At least she was safe, now.  
*******************

"Steve?" Robin said as she woke, sitting up with a jolt. She looked around for him, then noticed that he was sitting on the floor beneath the couch she had fallen asleep on. What was Steve supposed to do, not sit nearby and keep a close eye on her? Besides, daytime television was surprisingly good on a Wednesday afternoon.

"Hey," Steve answered, turning his attention away from the T.V. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm about to puke."

Steve chuckled. "Actually?"

Robin barely nodded, and Steve hurriedly stood up, grabbed the trashcan, and thrust it in her face. Seconds later, her hands were gripped tightly around its brim as she retched into it.

Steve stared awkwardly, not knowing what to do, but unable to turn away. He wanted to help, but didn't know how-- hold back her hair? It had already been thrown into a messy bun that morning. Rub her back? It was up against the couch.

Steve noticed that only water was coming up, and then after awhile, nothing came up at all. Shit, Steve thought.

Once Robin had finally ditched the bin, setting it on the floor, Steve asked, "When did you last eat?"

Robin shrugged. "Like, yesterday, maybe the day before."

Steve internally kicked himself-- of course she hadn't eaten! She was homeless for Christ's sake. Taking pills on an empty stomach almost always resulted in puking-- Steve should have remembered that from his mother.

Steve stood up, grabbing a stack of crackers from the cupboard and handing them to Robin-- he remembered having these when he was sick as a kid. 

"Eat."

"I'll just puke again."

Steve sighed. "You threw up from taking medicine on an empty stomach," he told her. "Sorry, I didn't think to ask when you'd eaten. But you need to now."

Robin grinned at him and ate a few crackers as a way of letting him know that he'd done nothing wrong. Steve then sat beside her (there was room now that she had sat up) and gave her shoulder a squeeze, feeling the warmth of her skin.

"You're really hot."

Robin's eyes widened and she leaned away. "Steve..."

Steves eyes widened, realizing his mistake. "I- fuck, I mean that your fever is really high."

Robin laughed for the first time that day, shooting bits of cracker that she hadn't swallowed out of her mouth, which sent Steve into hysterics as well. The two continued to giggle at themselves, bodies against each other. Robin felt happy knowing that Steve cared about her, and Steve did too because Robin was okay.

"But seriously, I should take your temperature again," Steve said, ending their laughing fest.

Always the mom, Steve Harrington.


End file.
